The Stranger
by JaxxTheBlade
Summary: The Enterprise is suddenly given orders to take aboard a strange Vulcan woman, whose apparent task is to 'observe' the actions of the crew. At the same time, a distress call from another ship near the Rigel System cannot be ignored. Upon inspection, library computers state that this Vulcan woman does not even exist. ...Or does she? [May contain spoilers; course language.]
1. Chapter 1

**AN:**Sadly, I don't own any of the characters created except for Lieutenant Commander T'Solak - I came up with her while playing a game. This story was originally based off of a dream I had (yes, I dream about Star Trek. Insert no life jokes here), however, I've modified it slightly so it fits the Star Trek universe a little better. This takes place in the alternate universe, not the prime universe. Also, I'm bring back the TOS episode "The Doomsday Device". Some of the ideas in the fanfiction will be inspired by that and will have aspects of that episode apparent. Yay! Please, tell me how I do on portraying the canon characters. Tell me how to make it better, if it doesn't seem to fit right. Anywho, I hope you guys enjoy!

* * *

**I**

_My mission..._

Numbing coldness was beginning to take her fingers, her toes. Her nose was tinged with green, the color of her blood, which was also numbingly cold. Her sharply tipped ears were in a state also similar, freezing and green-tinged. Snow fell from the sky like thick ash from a volcano. The wind whipped violently at her, but she had to make it to this outpost. Uhura would be there. She had to be.

Her trek through the snow was long and undeniably, cold. She was not used to this weather at all; her home planet was a hot one, with a stronger force of gravity. She couldn't feel any of her extremities although she wore the warmest fabrics, all in dark colors to absorb more energy. Her breath came in ragged gasps, expelling puffs of foggy water vapor from between her now-pale lips.

As if some gift from above, the outpost soon came into view. Snow was piling around it towards the bottom, but it was so tall, the snow would have a rather difficult time covering the entire building. There was her penultimate stop for her mission. Her checkpoint, so to speak. She would rest here until she is strong enough to embark on the final leg of her journey.

She approached the path, followed it to a door, locked for security purposes. Shaking, she extended a hand to switch on the intercom. Her voice was dry, cracked. She stated her rank and name.

"...requesting permission t-to enter."

She waited, wrapped up in her cloak.

No response came. She tried again. And again. No frustration bloomed, as she was a Vulcan, and logic always came first and foremost. Her brain went to work; perhaps something had happened. She struggled to think, to formulate what events could have transpired; the cold numbed her mind. She tried to fight away the fog, but it kept coming back, the clouds in her mind, the persistent freezing teeth.

She flipped open her communicator, movements robotic due to the extreme temperature. "_Enterprise.._. p-please come in."

"Enterprise; Kirk here." She could hear the sounds of battle in the background. The ship, attacked?

"Where... is Lieutenant Uhura?"

A loud blast sounded through her communicator. Communications must have been affected, static was beginning to set in. Kirk's voice came in hurriedly, he realized what had happened. As he spoke, she glanced a keypad installed next to the intercom, surely a way to allow her access inside.

"Code: One, seven, six ... four, nine ... seven ... one... s..." Static took the place of the captain's voice. _No..._ She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, regrouped her thoughts. Her mind went to work memorizing the numbers that she had been given, but logic reminded her that she only had a 19.34 percent chance of entering the code properly. It also reminded her rather coldly, much like the weather, that she would have three chances before security action was taken and she be considered an outside threat to destroy. Normally, she would praise such tight security. However, such a thing now worked against her, and she cursed it.

She moved her hand to the keypad after pocketing her communicator. She slowly mouthed each number she entered, silently hoping that each would be correct.

"One, seven, six ... one, four, nine ... four, seven ... nine, one, seven." She entered, adding in numbers she deemed likely to be present in the code.

Beep beep.

Nothing happened. Two chances left.

The coldness was really beginning to affect her now, her arms were stiff and her fingers had long lost their sensitivity. She wanted to keep her hand up, keep punching in numbers, but her arm fell uselessly to her side. Her brain was muddled, couldn't remember the numbers. The fog kept rolling in.

"One... seven..." she breathed.

_One... seven..._

_ One..._

_ Seven..._

_ One..._

_ S..._

_ ..._

Her mind broke, consciousness snapped, succumbed to the cold. She fell to the freezing, snow-covered ground. She could barely register the cold bite of the snow as it brushed against her skin.

Icy darkness took her in its embrace.

* * *

**Three Weeks Earlier...**

"Come in, _Enterprise_. This is Starfleet Command."

"Captain?" questioned the woman managing communications. She rotated in her seat to look up at the man sitting in the command chair. He shifted in his seat, pressed a button.

"_Enterprise,_ Captain Kirk here."

"Prepare to beam up one. She will explain her business aboard your ship to you once you meet with her," the voice paused, "Break. You are to respond to an emergency distress signal transmitted from nearby the Rigel System, sent by Captain Decker of the U.S.S. Constitution. Acknowledge."

"Acknowledged."

"Starfleet Command, out."

Kirk stood up, stretched a little, glanced over at his first officer, Spock. "Take over, Mr. Spock. I'll be back."

"Aye, captain."

Kirk disappeared into the turbolift, gone to meet the newcomer. Strange, how orders around here end up being changed so quickly.

* * *

The doors connecting the turbolift to the bridge soon slid open again, revealing none other than Captain James T. Kirk and another person, accompanying him. She did not belong to the _Enterprise_, she looked like no one who had ever boarded the _Enterprise_. Must be the new one mentioned by Starfleet Command. Kirk entered, owned the attention of everyone on the bridge. He looked everyone over, then gestured toward his companion, "Lieutenant Commander T'Solak," he explained, "She's been temporarily assigned to the _Enterprise_ for a period of two months as we carry out our duties. She will be.. monitoring our reactions and methods." The captain's tone betrayed his already made-up feelings about that: discomfort.

The newcomer stepped forward, her boots making heavy sounds on the metal floor. She was rather tall, perhaps about 5'8", with long legs and long arms, tipped in slender fingers. Her skin was not very tan, yet not pasty either. No, it was somewhere in the middle, a soft, creamy shade. Of course, she wore a regulation uniform: long black pants neatly tucked into her black leather boots, and a jacket, mostly black but accented in red here and there. She most likely wore a red shirt underneath, and a black one underneath that. Her raven black hair was short, slicked back neatly which gave her a rather professional look. Her eyes were a shade of gray, but dark with intelligence. She had her arms folded, her hand clasped behind her back as she studied the bridge crew of the _Enterprise_ carefully. "Thank you, Captain," she said with a nod, "And greetings to the rest of you." Her voice was deep, spoken from the throat; it commanded everyone's attention, the note was strength-filled.

Captain Kirk went on to introduce the crew, gesturing to each as he spoke their name aloud. "This is Lieutenant Uhura, our communications officer," said the captain as he swept his hand toward a woman with skin darker than hers, and hair tied in a strict ponytail, which fell just past her shoulders. She smiled and gave a small nod towards the newcomer. He moved on. "Ensign Chekov, navigator-"

"Right here, Keptin!" The young ensign grinned cheerfully.

"Sulu, our helmsman," Sulu also gave a warm smile. Kirk went on introducing the rest: Montgomery Scott, the chief engineer, and Doctor McCoy, who neither smiled nor glared. His gaze seemed curious, suspicious. He said nothing. Finally, he came to the last of the group.

"Commander Spock, chief science officer and my first officer. Also sass-master extraordinaire," Jim added with a smirk. Spock said nothing in response to that, although he did stare at the Captain for a moment, as if he were to say something.

Again, T'Solak nodded, walking for a bit before stopping in front of Spock, who made no movement whatsoever. They stared at each other before Spock spoke first.

"Lieutenant Commander," he stated simply.

"Commander Spock," replied T'Solak, keen dark eyes studying him, "I have heard of you before. You are said to be the best first officer in all of Starfleet."

A moment passed before Spock replied, "I have been called that."

"Then I shall expect to see much from you," said the female Vulcan.

Kirk spoke up, gesturing to the turbolift, "I'll show you to your quarters."

"Very well." She turned away with Kirk, entering the turbolift again. Spock stared after her until the doors slid closed. It seemed the crew wasn't the only one being studied carefully.

In the turbolift, silence was the only sound other than the sound of movement as Kirk and T'Solak were transported toward deck two. Jim glanced at the female Vulcan multiple times, wondering, daring to question. She said absolutely nothing at all, didn't even spare a single glance at him. The details of her task were not given to the captain, and his curiosity was beginning to bug him. A long period of quiet ensued.

Kirk broke the silence first, seeing as the Vulcan had no intention of initiating conversation.

"I recall that you command your own ship, the U.S.S...?"

"_Serpentia_."

"_Serpentia_," Kirk finished. He looked at T'Solak with pale blue eyes, still questioning. She replied without shifting her gaze or batting an eyelash.

"An escort vessel. Our missions mainly consist of accompanying persons of importance to their destination, although we do perform other tasks such as interstellar relations and simple system patrol duties. Surveillance as well. I am considered, in your human terms, a 'jack-of-all-trades.' Our crew is experienced in nearly every aspect of Starfleet."

Kirk gave a smirk, leaning against the wall of the turbolift, "So you're a little bit of everything, huh? And you do a lot of fighting."

"Affirmative."

"I'd say your rather... aggressive, am I right?" He ran his fingers through his hair, still smirking.

At that moment, the doors to the turbolift opened. T'Solak stepped out briskly, then turned to regard the captain with cold eyes. "Captain, I understand that you are attempting to use a human ability called 'flirting,' and while this may work with your other female crew members, it most certainly will have no effect on me. Now, if you do not mind, I believe I can find my quarters on my own."

Kirk sighed as he watched her depart, arms crossed as he shook his head. A tiny grin played at the corners of his mouth as he muttered to himself, "Yup, definitely Vulcan."

* * *

**Author's Note:  
**I do hope this first chapter was rather enjoyable for readers. I'm having a little bit of a hard time settling in to some of the characters, especially Spock and Kirk for some reason. I keep thinking of the TOS versions while my story takes place in the alternate reality. I have the second chapter written; I'll post it as soon as I'm happy with it, and when I have time.

P.S., I also couldn't find any info on which deck a guest's quarters would be located. I am aware that on a Constitution-class starship, the officers' quarters are generally located on deck five and that the crew's quarters are generally placed throughout the disc (although where specifically, I am unsure of). Another place mentioned deck two.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **Still don't own these guys, except for T'Solak. :c

Oh, hey, look, Spirk fight! Yay! Meaning, beware, there is some swearing.

* * *

**II**

Jim couldn't sleep. He tossed, turned. His blankets were a twisted mess, one of his legs caught up in the knot. _Where'd my pillow go?_ He rolled onto his side, one arm hanging off the bed. He half-heartedly groped for his pillow, but his search was fruitless. He gave up. It was that Vulcan. Her appearance was beginning to bother him. What was her name? Already forgotten. Their names were too foreign, too weird.

Jim rolled over again, onto his back, staring at the dark ceiling. He drew shapes in the darkness with his finger, although he couldn't see them. It started with a T. Well, that was helpful. What, really, was she doing there, on the _Enterprise?_ His orders from Starfleet Command had been to travel to the area just outside the Rigel System, to respond to a distress signal from the _Constellation.  
_

_But to be observed, watched?_

Jim glanced at the clock. Ship time, 0300. _Ugh._ There was no way he would be able to sleep. His neck was sore, shoulders stiff. He was beginning to get the kind of headache you get from trying to sleep in for way too long, the kind of headache that never goes away. Again, _ugh._ Hazily, he sat up, untangled his poor leg from the mess of blankets. He flipped on the lights, dimmed them down, then located his pillow, which he found had somehow managed to fly clear across the room, underneath a chair. _Weird._ The pillow found itself placed back onto the pile of bed clothes atop the bed. Jim stretched, stood up, yawned once despite his predicted inability to sleep for the rest of the morning. He winced as his stiff muscles were loosened, but the stretching felt pleasant. His muscles still, were sore. _Gotta see Bones about this if I end up like this for the next few hours..._

Jim found some pants and a regulation black t-shirt, threw on some boots. He poked his head out the door, peering into the hallway. The corridor was dark, a result of the engineering department's work; they wanted to simulate planet-like conditions on the _Enterprise_, including day and night. However, it wasn't too dark. The crew covering the gamma shift still needed to work and that required the ability to see. The lights glowed dimly above.

He found himself beginning to wander, his legs taking him to God-knows-where. He wandered down some corridors, passed one junior officer who nodded a greeting, looking on curiously. Usually the captain of the _Enterprise_ was never awake this early. It was... odd. Jim moved on.

At one point, he paused in front of a clear window to space. With hands in his pockets, he stared into the outside, into the unknown. Well, not completely unknown. Space was huge, gigantic. For all he knew, it would go on forever. Even though the Federation probably would never meet the edges of this universe, they would try. Already, they had explored many systems, many galaxies. And then there were the _other_ universes, or so said many theories. Of course, that had to be true, or the older, much, much older Spock wouldn't exist. What else was out there? Anything? Nothing? He wondered, _What is it like...?_

"You are awake rather early, Captain," came a monotone, emotionless voice. He started, tensed. Hadn't expected anyone to speak to him. _Spock._ Jim turned around, brow furrowed. Of course, there stood his first officer, hands clasped formally behind his back, dark eyes studying him. He swore.

"Holy shit Spock, do you even _sleep_?" he growled. Clearly he was unhappy that he had been caught off-guard.

"Only when it is necessary, Captain," replied the Vulcan, moving to stand next to him. He directed his gaze outside, where the light of distant stars and galaxies winked in and out, teasing, whispering, hiding their histories, their stories. Again, he wondered, what were those worlds like?

"Captain, I find it most unusual that you be awake at this hour. On average, you normally awaken four hours twenty-two minutes and three seconds from this time. Are you finding difficulty in sleeping?" Spock seemed to be trying to demonstrate some kind of concern for Jim, which he found rather interesting. Spock, after all, was half-Vulcan. He strove to not show any kind of emotion, as he lived for logic. Didn't he?

Kirk looked at his first officer. _M__y friend._ Spock was returning his gaze with no apparent emotion. He couldn't read the concern he thought he'd heard in his friend's tone. Jim wanted to smile, it was odd that he'd refer to Spock as his friend, but he was. Their beginning was one of the rockiest, very rough, but perhaps that's where the stitches of the strongest bonds are sewn, begun. Of course Spock would be concerned. It was part of being a friend. Instead of smiling, he said, "Yeah. Got a lot of things going through my mind. I figured I would get up and walk it out. Ended up here. With the stars."

"Ah, yes, Captain. You find them..." Spock seemed to be searching for the correct words. "You find the image of the stars... relaxing." It almost came out as a question.

"Yeah," replied Kirk with a nod. He turned his gaze back to the outside, but he could still feel Spock's eyes on him, probing.

"May I ask what it is you are thinking, Captain?" Spock finally asked after long, continuous silence.

"It's that Vulcan woman," Jim said after a small pause, gathering his thoughts.

"Lieutenant Commander T'Solak."

"Yes," he confirmed, "Something about her... bothers me."

"Captain, I find no fault with the Lieutenant Commander. She is a capable member of Starfleet, highly intelligent. She is merely here to observe us," said Spock.

"I don't see why we need to be _watched_ all the time. Haven't we proven ourselves?" Jim tried to explain his thoughts. He could feel heat rising in his face, anger. They weren't observing any _other_ ships now, were they?

"...We have nothing to prove, Captain. It simply is. Lieutenant Commander T'Solak has been ordered by Starfleet to observe our ship, therefore, she is. We have been ordered to respond to the U.S.S. Constellation's distress call, therefore, we are. There is nothing to prove, only do."

Kirk sighed, squeezed his eyes shut. Frustration was beginning to set in. He tried to force his voice to sound calm, but it cracked as he spoke. It betrayed his emotions. _Damn Vulcans._ "You don't get it, do you Spock? Two years ago, we defeated Nero. Saved Earth. The entire thing. The whole planet! The year after, we dealt with Khan. We succeeded. If that doesn't prove our worth-"

"There is nothing to prove-" Spock tried to interrupt.

"_Then what does?!_" he finished.

"Captain," said Spock.

"They don't trust us."

"Jim," tried the Vulcan. The captain stopped, looked at Spock. The use of his first name was... rare. It was too familiar. Spock almost never used his first name. Almost. "You cannot blame the Command for taking precautionary measures. You first came into command on this ship informally. Originally, you never were meant to be _on_ the _Enterprise_. There is a reason why I was made Captain when Admiral Pike was aboard the _Narada._ Also, you once violated the Prime Directive and was demoted in rank due to the violation. How you are now captain of this ship, I do not know."

Kirk cocked his head, brow furrowed, eyes blazing. "Are you saying that I'm not good enough?" He stepped forward, nose just before his first officer's face. His blue eyes were on fire; he would be shooting laser beams at Spock if that were possible. He could feel Spock's calm breath on his face, but he ignored it. Kirk hoped that his breath was hot enough to make Spock _burn. _"Are you saying they're afraid that I might be reckless, do something stupid-"

"It has happened in the past-"

"That I'm unfit for command?"

"Captain-"

"_That's_ why they don't trust us? Don't trust _me?_"

"_Captain-_"

"Shut up Spock!"snapped Jim. His eyes were bright blue orbs of fire. "_I'm sick of this!"_

"Then I suggest you go to sickbay-"

"There you go again, with your fucking smart-ass 'intellect'!" shouted Kirk. His face was red, a vein in his neck pulsing with blood from his anger. "I'm sick of you, I'm sick of them, _I'm sick of this ship_!" Jim threw up his arms in anger, "Just leave me alone, Spock." He didn't look at his first officer, wouldn't. He stalked away; he would eventually return to here this very morning, before alpha shift began.

The heat of this fight would still remain, long after a disheartened Spock had left the area.

* * *

**Author's Note:  
**

It seems like things are going kind of fast for me, but I'm also a fast reader. Opinions? Too fast or just right?

Hope this one was enjoyable too. c: I'll be working on chapter three when I get the chance.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** Of course, I do not own the idea of Star Trek, nor do I own Captain James Kirk, Spock, or any other canon characters.

* * *

**III**

For the remainder of the morning, during alpha shift, Kirk and Spock never spared at glance at each other, each keeping to their own business. The tension was thick in the air, drenching the bridge. Kirk hoped that T'Solak wouldn't be able to sense the distance between his first officer and himself. He had absolutely no desire for her to know of the current circumstances surrounding the captain and his second-in-command. If she _had_ noticed, she gave no indication. Otherwise, everything was rolling smoothly; the ship traveling through space at warp factor four towards the Rigel System.

Unfortunately, time rolled by slowly for the captain; it was practically torturing him. Something needed to happen. Jim drummed his fingers on the arms of the command chair in impatience. He couldn't sit idle; he had to do something. He started tapping his toe quietly, then leaned forward, shook his head. A few minutes passed. Finally, he'd had enough.

"Spock, take over," said Kirk as he stood up and moved toward the turbolift. T'Solak eyed him with those dark eyes of hers, then looked back at Spock as he acknowledged this order without question.

"If I may accompany you, Captain?" prompted the Vulcan female. Her hands were clasped behind her back formally. She looked straight at him again. Briefly, Kirk wondered if she ever stood in any other position, or if she was just like a statue carved into that single stance.

"Yes," he replied with a single word. Again, he had no desire to have his emotions read like an open book. They both entered the turbolift. He prompted the lift, ordered to be taken to deck three. Soon he'd be able to get into action, to do something. He tapped his fingers heavily against the side of his leg, eyes looking straight ahead as he focused on one object: the doors to the lift.

"You appear to be rather restless, Captain. A human tendency for some whose personality demands action," stated T'Solak, looking at him. Jim immediately stopped tapping his fingers and met the eyes of the Vulcan. Of course, he could read nothing in their depths. When he didn't say anything, she continued. "I presume you must be a man of action."

"You could call me that."

The doors opened to reveal a corridor, traveled mostly by those from engineering, or crew members planning on taking a brief break to rest in the crewman's lounge located on this deck. Kirk immediately set off at a brisk pace down the hall with Lieutenant Commander T'Solak following close to his heels. He turned a corner sharply, traveled down that hallway for a few moments. Of course, she still followed.

"Is there anything specific you wanted to talk about, or are you just going follow me?" Kirk asked irritably, stopping abruptly and turning to stare at the Vulcan. His disdain for her was most likely obvious on his face, but he didn't care too much at this particular moment. _So much for avoiding being read like a book. _Blue eyes glared brightly at dark, grey ones.

She said nothing at first, as if she had multiple things she wanted to say, then said, "Captain, if you are considered to be a man of action, restless when your body is at rest, then I can logically make the inference that you are making your way to the holodeck, to be in action."

Kirk inclined his head, lips set in a slight frown. "Then you've inferred correctly," he growled.

"I request permission to accompany you, Captain. I believe I know of a historic scenario that would 'get your blood pumping,' as they say," said T'Solak calmly, her voice cool and level. "And while I do not see the logic in the act of wasting energy simply because you can, I believe that someone of your nature will function at their best when engaged in stimulating activities."

The captain pondered this offer for a moment. This would be an opportune time to get to know T'Solak a little bit, figure her out. He finally nodded, "Alright, fine." He gestured for her to follow, this time walking at a more reasonable pace. "Explain to me this... scenario."

"You are aware of the mythical Earth-creatures known as dragons, correct? They also go by other names such as wyrms, hydras, drakes..." T'Solak listed the varying names, sounding quite intelligent (of course, Vulcans are already intelligent and have no difficulty making it seem so).

"_Yes, yes,_" Kirk sighed, "Those giant winged lizard things that breathe fire and destroy castles and eat the fair maidens? Yes."

"Actually, Captain, many ancient Earth legends depict the creatures as more than that. Some had breath of ice or poisonous gas. I find it rather fascinating."

"So, then, how do dragons fit in to this little... scenario?"

"The holodeck program I am going to describe promotes teamwork and trust, although the latter is a more human trait. It also promotes quick thinking, hand-eye coordination and presents a physical challenge - it can assist in physical conditioning, should one require it. I find this program to be rather... stimulating." For a moment, Kirk thought she was going to say _exciting_ or _enjoyable_, but of course, those were words that Vulcans seldom used, if they used them at all.

The pair stopped in front of the double doors, which slid open to welcome them as they came near. Kirk was about to remind her that she hadn't answered his question, but she began to speak again. "This is a scenario in which a hydra, a serpentine creature very similar to a dragon, with multiple heads that regenerate as they are destroyed, is attacking the users of the holodeck, taking the place of the man known as Hercules. I assume you know something of this myth, as it is one that originates from your Earth." She looked to him for confirmation, to which he nodded. "Our task is to slay the beast."

Of course, Kirk had heard of the myth before, but he didn't know the exact details of how to destroy the hydra. "How do we kill it?"

"I will not assist you in that aspect, as that would defeat the purpose of this exercise, Captain Kirk. I will, however, act as an ally," she replied. Jim thought he could hear a hint of... _something_ in her tone, but her was about face as expressive as a rock.

They both entered the holodeck together. The electronic voice of the holodeck echoed and bounced off the walls as the doors slid behind them. "_Holodeck systems online. Query?_"

The female Vulcan's throat-based voice rang clearly in the room. "Initiate program." She began rattling off numbers, "One, three, five, seven, six, zero, five. Stand by."

T'Solak looked at Jim. "Are you mentally and physically prepared?"

Mouth set in a grim line, he gave T'Solak a strength-filled look and nodded.

"_Engage."_

* * *

**AN:** As always, I do hope that was an enjoyable read. I realize that not a lot particularly happened in this chapter, but I felt like the story was going a little too fast. Consider this part of a "filler" or whatever you prefer to call it.

**Also,** I'd like to make the readers aware that I haven't seen anything about holodecks in the series yet (still going through them. ._.) so what I know about them all comes from Memory-Alpha. I decided to take a tiny futuristic twist and use a little bit of artistic license. :)

**EDIT:  
**Also, I'll be absent for the next week and a half due to school stuff. I'll be back with chapter four sometime in about two weeks. It should get better; I just realized how much potential this story has and how much room I have to grow. Lots of work to do. :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Star Trek nor the original canon characters.

* * *

**IV**

He was falling.

Everything was darkness, Jim could see, could touch, absolutely nothing. His heart flew up into his throat. The sensation of falling was apparent, but that was all he was. A falling object. No, not even that. He had no form. He was just... _there_. Barely existing. He felt as blind as a newborn animal with its eyes sealed shut. If he still had eyes, he was unable to open them. It was like a dream that you couldn't wake up from. The nothingness was cool, almost like slipping smoothly through the black water of an ocean. What was he? For the moment, he was nothing.

Then the world came back. As if he was torn from his own body then shoved back into it, Jim was gasping for breath, for air, for life. He was still falling, but he could feel and hear the wind whistling by. It tore at his clothes and tousled his hair. He imagined himself looking down, and below he could see a single point of light. He was falling toward it. As he neared, he could make out the ground, muddy and with murky waters swirling ominously. The tall grass reached for him…...

The next thing he knew, his face was shoved into the squishy, damp ground. His body ached, as if he had slammed into the ground, rather than landing softly like a feather. Momentarily, he was stunned, but then his lungs called for oxygen and of course, he could not breathe in the mud. He lifted his head, spat out some rather foul-tasting water and took a deep breath; this was not how he imagined entering the holographic world.

"I take it you enjoyed the entrance, Captain?" said a female voice. It came from above. Hazily, he rolled onto his side and propped himself up with his arm, using the other to wipe mud from his face with his sleeve. It didn't work that well; his clothes were soaking wet and he managed to instead smear the mud across his face. Lieutenant Commander T'Solak stood over him, looking down at him. Her cream-colored face also showed signs of having landed rather heavily in the mud, but most of it had been cleared away somehow. Her dark eyes seemed to glow intelligently.

Jim propped himself up to his knees, then forced himself to his feet. He winced a little, a bit achy from the fall. "That was some ride," he said as he rubbed his sore neck. The impact hadn't done him any justice. Again, he made an attempt at wiping the swamp gunk from his face, then spat and smacked his lips in disgust. The swampy taste in his mouth was particularly foul.

T'Solak said nothing in reply, just brushed past him to observe the area.

Jim took several minutes to observe his surroundings. Of course, they were in the middle of a swamp in an area where the giant trees had opened up a little to let the sky peek in. Giant reeds and tall grass swayed slightly, but the air was stagnant and held no breeze to buffet the plants. In some places, there was no water on the ground at all, but soggy earth was there instead. In others, the water could have been deep enough to reach up to just past his knees. He took a few steps forward, testing the ground and found that the extremely saturated soil clung to his boots like stiff fingers and made a bone chilling sucking noise when he managed to free his foot from its grip.

_Isn't something supposed to happen?_

Brows furrowed, Jim turned to look at Lieutenant Commander T'Solak, who was wandering about behind him with her back facing toward him. Of course, her hands were clasped behind her back formally, as they usually were. He called to get her attention, tone expressing curiosity, "Nothing's happening."

"A sound observation, Captain. I am unsure of why the program is behaving in this manner. Perhaps a glitch in the system. I do not think it will be a problem for us," replied the Lieutenant Commander. She paced a little bit, her boots making those disgusting _squelch, squelch, squelch_ swamp noises. She then turned to look back at the captain. "What is your plan, Captain?"

_That's right, she's not going to help me in this._

"Well then," said Kirk as he flicked some mud off his sleeve, "We should probably get familiar with the area and-"

His voice was lost in the screeching roar that suddenly filled the air. The hydra! Jim didn't bother to finish his sentence; his eyes were on the beast as it appeared. It seemed as if it rose out of the very ground! Six giant, red, pupil-less eyes stared at him. Foul-smelling swamp water poured off of its three heads as it rose to its feet, which were tipped in long and deadly black talons. It was covered head-to-tail in thick scales, Jim noticed, but the underside of its necks and belly appeared to be much softer. Perhaps a weakness.

Jim fumbled for his phaser, but his hands found nothing. It was gone. Panicking a little, he began to back-step as the beast let out another ferocious, ear-splitting roar and began to follow him. Jim's eyes began to water and he could feel his throat become dry; he coughed a few times into his elbow. The hydra's slavering maws all hung open slightly and he could see yellow-green puffs come from its throats: chlorine gas.

A shout tore the hydra's attention away from Jim just as one of its heads was about to lunge at him with jaws wide open. Two heads turned around while the other still regarded Kirk with its demonic eyes. Its colossal claws extended, it swatted Jim to the side before wheeling and making its way to the Vulcan female.

His breath was knocked out of him; he was rendered stunned for a few moments before air came gasping back into his lungs. He sat up quickly, then groaned in pain. His hand moved to his rib cage. He guessed he had at least a broken rib from that blow, but immediately got to his feet despite the pain and shouted, "T'Solak! Make a break for it!"

"Meet me on higher ground, Captain!" came the strained reply. Kirk watched as she dodged the sharp fangs of the beast with swiftness and agility. He could see her eyes squeezed shut, probably burning from the irritating chlorine glass emanating from the creature. "Go!" she cried. But... even if she wasn't a part of the crew, he couldn't just leave her. It didn't matter if this was a simple holodeck program; the danger was real enough and he would never leave anyone in immediate danger. T'Solak noticed his hesitation and again shouted, practically begging him to flee.

Jim hesitated, watching for a moment more. He couldn't. Just… _no._ He hurriedly searched the ground, eyes probing for something, _anything_ that could be a weapon. His breath came quickly, he glanced up. The hydra was advancing on T'Solak, whose hands were clenched into fists. Did she really intend to fight the thing bare-handed? No, eyes back on the ground. A few moments more of searching, Jim found a rock suitable for the task, sharpened on the edge, perhaps sharp enough to do a bit of damage. He reached down and snatched it up, clenching it tightly. He could hear the monster's piercing roar again, which spurred him into action.

The next few moments were like a frame-by-frame clip of a twenty-first century sports game.

The first frame would have been showing Jim sprinting toward the hydra faster than he ever remembered, lunging at the beast. One of the heads whipped around, startled that he had returned. T'Solak, at the same time, jabbed her fingers into the eyes of another head as it reached out to bite into her, rendering it temporarily blind. It was beginning to get difficult to see through his own watering eyes, but Kirk's blood was singing; he let out his own roar as he dodged the jaws of a head and shoved the sharp-edged stone into the soft neck of the hydra. Corrosive blood spewed out violently, splattering on his clothes and beginning to eat away at them. Suddenly, a warm, strong hand grabbed ahold of his arm and yanked him away from the beast, which was reeling in surprise and letting out piercing shrieks.

Together they stumbled through the marsh towards the thick tree line, only a couple hundred feet away. However, their progress was uncomfortably slow, considering they had an enraged beast thrashing about behind them. The mud grabbed at their boots, _squelch_ing all the way, but Kirk found that he easily ignored it as he was dragged along by T'Solak. Luckily, she was strong since she had grown up on the planet Vulcan. Dimly, he wondered if she actually _was _a survivor from the Vulcan incident two years ago, but his mind was forced away from the matter as she abruptly yanked hard on his arm.

He pitched forward, face meeting marshy soil not for the first time that day. He felt those warm hands through the sleeves of his shirt pull him to his feet again before they took off deeper into the swamp. Jim was really beginning to sweat now; combined with the warm wetness of his soaked Starfleet uniform and the suddenly noticeably sticky, humid swamp air. He was beginning to tire, the adrenaline wearing off.

Gradually, the anger-filled roars of the hydra was left far behind them as the two dodged trees with roots that could have spread for miles and waded through grass taller than their waists. Finally, Kirk pulled his arm from T'Solak as he coasted to a stop and said, "I think we've gone far enough,"

"You believe we have traveled a sufficient distance from the hydra, Captain?" asked the female Vulcan as she walked back to Kirk; she had traveled a fair distance more, leaving him behind before slowing down and returning to him. He thought irritation flashed in her dark eyes, but a moment later, there was nothing. Vulcans were skilled at hiding their emotions.

"Yeah, I can't hear it anymore, and my eyes aren't burning from the chlorine gas that thing breathes," Kirk replied. He did a glance-over of himself for any possible injuries. It hurt to breathe; probably had two broken ribs. He had minimal scratches on his right hand from the edge of that stone he had used as a primitive weapon. There were small holes and one large one in the left sleeve and shoulder of his shirt, as well as a few holes in his pants from the hydra's blood, but that was nothing to worry about. Once they completed the holodeck program, everything would be returned to its original state. A small smile tugged at Jim's lips. _Bones won't even have to worry about having a near-death experience, and I won't have to worry about laundry. Fantastic!_

His smile faded, however, when he met T'Solak's calm gaze. She seemed to be studying him, her up-swept brows furrowed. Jim had to do a double-take. Was that an appearance of slight confusion that dashed across her face? Again, Kirk reminded himself that Vulcans seldom revealed their emotions and often sought to suppress them, but his eyes kept catching the tiny flickers of expression. Her met her gaze. Her eyes held nothing but analytical study now. She spoke.

"You have sustained some injuries, Captain?"

"It's nothing."

"You did not provide a sufficient answer for my question, Captain."

"Just a couple cracked ribs, some scratches. Really, it's nothing at all."

A pause.

"Interesting."

"Is there a problem?" asked Kirk, head tilted to one side slightly.

"None that I see will be an issue, Captain. However, I would be cautious throughout this program from now on, if I were you."

"If you say so." Kirk wandered to the nearest tree, sat down on one of the larger roots that snaked up out of the murky waters and then dipped back into it further along the length of the root. It creaked ominously, as if it threatened to drop him into the mud and water again, but held his weight. "What do my injuries have to do with anything?"

T'Solak ignored his question and steered the conversation away from that topic, which left Kirk feeling slightly perplexed. "I do believe that there is a vicious beast that is to be slain, Captain."

"Lieutenant Commander T'Solak," Kirk began.

"Focus, Captain Kirk."

_Forget it, Jim_, he told himself. She wasn't going to talk about that. Plus, maybe the Vulcan was right; maybe he did need to focus at the task before him instead of a phantom problem that may really turn out to be nothing. Plus, he was itching to get moving. He submitted and switched gears. "So I guess we need a plan, right?"

T'Solak made her way over to stand in front of him. "That would be correct, Captain," she clasped her hands behind her back, slowly speaking, "Preferably one that would be logical." Jim was sure as hell that if she wasn't a Vulcan, she would be wearing a smirk of arrogance.

"Right... so, weaknesses- that thing does have weaknesses, right?"

"I believe everything must always have some form of weakness, Captain," replied the Lieutenant Commander.

"Weaknesses... weaknesses..." The wheels in the captain's brain were turning, working, looking for answers. "The underside of its necks and underbelly are pretty soft. Even a slightly sharp rock could cut the skin on that thing. If I'd try to attack anywhere else though, it would probably just bounce off of the scales."

"Correct." He had been looking down at the murky waters swirling about his feet. His socks were uncomfortably soaked. Now, he looked up at T'Solak.

"Do you think the heads would fight each other?"

"Perhaps. What are you thinking?" T'Solak, who probably had quite a bit of knowledge about this program, was definitely going to give him no exact answers. Jim would have to figure out everything on his own. If anything, he thought that T'Solak was just there for the ride.

"Well, each head has a brain, right? So then maybe each head has its own line of thinking. If we can get them to each think a different though process, maybe it would be distracted long enough for us to decapitate it. Or maybe stab it through the heart."

"It would be difficult to strike through the heart, Captain. While the underbelly of the beast is soft, its internal organs are protected by a strong skeletal system. There would be a high chance of weapons being deflected by the sternum or caught in the ribs. It may even break completely."

"So then we have to get rid of the heads somehow." Kirk frowned, rubbing his chin as he looked at T'Solak. "We need to find or make some weapons. Our phasers our gone."

"Again, I will reiterate that this particular program promotes logic," she tilted her head. "Where do you think we will find the materials for weapons, or perhaps even weapons themselves?" Was she hinting that even whole, already-built weapons may be hidden somewhere, by the program? T'Solak's face was unreadable. Jim couldn't be sure.

Again, his mind whirled, thinking swiftly through every possible scenario. Suddenly he stood up, his movement making waves in the ankle-deep swamp water. "The hydra. It has to have a lair somewhere. And all of the old myths... hydras are like dragons, and dragons hoard treasure. Treasure... like weapons." Bingo.

"Ah, now you are thinking, Captain Kirk." A compliment? T'Solak lifted her chin. "I am ready for whatever orders you wish to give, Captain."

Kirk grinned. "Good. Let's go find Beasty's house."

An up-swept eyebrow lifted quizzically. "Beasty?"

Kirk sighed. "Nevermind. Let's go."

* * *

**AN:** Again, I hope this was enjoyable. And yes, I do realize that I'd said that I would post this chapter after my busy week, but I found a little bit of free time to finish this.

I know this seems really out of the blue, but I actually have some sort of a plan to go along with this. Now, clearly Kirk has disliked T'Solak from the get-go, even though he doesn't _really_ know her. Well, now's the chance to get to know her a little. c: I'd say that already, we've learned a little bit about her character in this chapter.

Still, after reading through this a couple times I think it still seems a bit short (even though it's nearly double the amount of words from the other, not including author's notes), or the transitioning seems choppy or something seems wrong with my writing. Tips, comments (I guess they're called reviews here) and constructive criticism are welcomed. :)

**P.S.,** I'll be gone for the next week and won't have access to the internet or computer, so chapter five will come a bit late.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: ****I do not own Star Trek or any of the canon characters. **

* * *

**V**

It took a few hours of hard work, searching below heavy rocks and underneath immobile tree roots, but Kirk and his Vulcan companion eventually did find the beast's lair, the pungent scent of sulfur and chlorine emanating from that one area. When Kirk did come across the scent, it took him another thirty minutes to figure out that the entirety of the lair was underground, the entrance wedged between a boulder (more like a mountain!) and a clump of swamp trees gathered near the steep incline of a large, tree-covered hill. As they approached the rancid-smelling entrance, Jim spared a glance at T'Solak, who was staring into the dark depths of the hydra's lair.

"I'll go in first," he said as he stepped forward.

"Captain, can you even see in there?"

He shook his head. "Actually no, I kind of figured that I would be able to feel my way around in there.

"Has it ever occurred to you that torches make excellent light sources?" If there were anything that Vulcans excelled at, it was sass. A tiny smile played at Jim's lips. T'Solak's words reminded him of Spock and his often witty comments, which sent a knife of guilt stabbing through his heart. The hint of his smile faded. The events of earlier this morning suddenly came back to him, reminding him that perhaps he should make some sort of apology to his first officer later. He remembered his own voice shouting at Spock, telling him that _you don't get it, do you?_ He remembered shouting that he was sick of everyting, of Spock, of being captain, of the _Enterprise._ He didn't really mean that...

"Captain Kirk?" T'Solak's voice made him jerk. He realized that he'd been staring at her intensely as those thoughts had raced through his mind.

"Sorry, I... I was thinking," he paused in a search for words. "It would be hard to make a torch, all of the wood here is probably saturated with water from the swamp."

She raised a thin eyebrow in reply. "Perhaps you are right. May I enter the lair first, then? I believe my superior senses of hearing and smell may be of use, since we will not be able to see as well in the dark." Now it was his turn to raise an eyebrow at T'Solak's proclamations. As much as Jim wanted to enter first, he knew that in Vulcan eyes, to do so would be illogical. Kirk reluctantly nodded his permission, then followed T'Solak into the darkness, which swallowed them up.

The darkness was unnerving. He couldn't see a thing, and the creepy _plip, plop, drip, drop_ of water falling from stalactites didn't make him feel any less uneasy. He could hear the watery foot steps of T'Solak a few feet in front of him and could imagine her back to him as she navigated the tunnel carefully, ears listening to every tiny sound and nose catching every scent. _How does she even tell the difference between anything in here? This place smells as if a public swimming pool and an Academy chemistry lab got together._

Slowly he began to become attuned to his surroundings. His ears gradually tuned out the pesky sound of the water droplets from the stalactites above his head and he allowed himself to focus on any sounds that seemed to be foreign from the simple sounds of a sopping wet cave. The air changed as they traveled further below the surface. It went from being warm and extremely humid to cool and slightly damp. Jim could feel the change. The smell of chlorine grew stronger and he strained to see through the veil of darkness ahead...

Suddenly he crashed into something very warm and very alive. It flinched. A female voice muttered something in a strange language and hot hands grabbed his shoulders to steady him before falling into nasty swamp water for the third or fourth time during the holodeck program. As he righted himself, they pulled away quickly as if they had touched a hot stove.

"Why'd we stop?" asked Jim. He could still feel the warmth where T'Solak's hands had grasped him and his cheeks began to get warm. He was glad for the darkness that hid his face. He briefly wondered what the body temperature of a Vulcan normally was, and made a mental note to himself to ask Spock once he had made up with him.

"The tunnel forks here," he could feel her eyes on him, despite not being able to see anything. Jim wouldn't be able to see his own hand in front of his face, even if he'd wanted to. Again, he was grateful for the darkness. "I await your decision."

"Let's split up," Jim suggested. There was a sharp intake of breath, as if T'Solak wanted to protest, but then he heard a slow exhale. She didn't say anything. Again, this was all Jim. T'Solak wouldn't interfere or help much, she would simply follow orders.

"Which way, Captain?"

"You should take the tunnel on the right," Jim ordered, suddenly beginning to feel very at home in a command position, "And I'll take the tunnel on the left."

"Be careful, Captain. This may be a holodeck program, but you are unarmed and the pain will seem... real if you sustain injuries." Like he didn't know that already; every breath reminded him of his cracked ribs. "I will hear you and be able to locate you through something similar to echolocation if you make enough noise. As humans once said, 'give me a hollar if you need anything."

Jim was about to nod, then realized, of course, that she wouldn't be able to see the gesture through the darkness. "Very well," he replied as he began to move off into the yawning darkness. For the first few feet, he could still hear the damp foot steps of T'Solak bouncing off the cave walls as she traveled through the tunnel adjacent to his, but then eventually they faded away and he was left alone with the sound of his breathing and his beating heart. Fear began to rise up in his throat, but Jim swallowed it back down forcefully as he made his way through the tunnel, fingertips barely brushing against the damp wall on his right. He wouldn't be able to see anything. What if the hydra was lying in wait in the darkness, ready to snatch him up and eat him at any second?

Jim took deep breaths, reminding himself that this was a holodeck program and that there was no way that he was in any real danger, even if it seemed like it. There was nothing to be afraid of. Absolutely nothing...

* * *

T'Solak moved along, stepping gingerly and picking her way through the tunnel. She pursed her lips, wrinkling her nose as the scent of chlorine grew ever so stronger, letting her know that she was most likely approaching an area the beast was programmed to use more. However, she did not expect the hydra to be in this place at this time. She mentally cursed Captain Kirk; he hadn't figured it out yet.

When they first entered the program, she knew immediately that something was wrong. The wait between when they first entered and when the main object of the program, the hydra, appeared told her that. She had revealed nothing, trusting that Kirk would make the right decisions and they would finish the program relatively unscathed. She scolded herself; she'd put her trust in the wrong person today. And trust was a human trait. Illogical.

After they'd fled the hydra the first time, T'Solak made guessed that for some reason, the safety protocols of the holodeck program had failed to initialize correctly. Did she put in a wrong number? Her Vulcan mind forgot nothing, and she didn't remember giving an incorrect number to the computer. She'd gone along with everything until she got a good look at the injuries Kirk had sustained from the scuffle with the hydra. Now her suspicions were confirmed.

There was no way they would get out of the program unscathed, despite it not truly being real. If they weren't careful, they could die in the holodeck.

She knew this program like the back of her hand; one of her not-so-distant ancestors, who had also been in Starfleet, had assisted in its creation. She knew everything about it, including where the beast would be at all times. At that thought, she quickened her pace. She didn't have much time. She knew where it would be next, and Kirk was too vulnerable in the darkness. T'Solak wished she hadn't left him alone, then reminded herself that to do so would be illogical. After all, if they had stuck together, she wouldn't be able to retrieve what she was currently looking for...

She stopped suddenly as her boot struck something on the damp ground, which cause a metallic _clang! _to ring out and bounce off the cave walls. _Ah, there you are..._ She bent over to pick up the object. Her long fingers wrapped around the handle of a sword, which she picked up slowly before holding it out in front of her to admire the craftsmanship. Of course, she couldn't see that well, and the weapon itself was as fake as everything else in the program, but ancient weapons always had held some sense of... _life_ to them. She could feel the near-perfect balance in the slightly curved sword, a weapon crafted of the strongest metals that had existed during the time of the particular legend that the holodeck program emulated. She could feel the rough leather wrapped around the handle and the metal of the hilt protecting her sword hand. T'Solak sucked in a breath slow of reverence...

And let out a quick exhale as she whipped around and broke into a dead sprint down the tunnel, following the echoed shouts of the only other person in the tunnels: Jim Kirk.

* * *

He had simply been slowly navigating the tunnel, picking his way through with his hand on the wet cave wall. Jim could smell the scent of chlorine and sulfur become stronger, but he had dismissed it as simply coming across a more frequented area, much like T'Solak had a few minutes before...

He knew something was wrong when he felt _something_. It was like a presence. He could feel eyes watching, staring, observing. The hairs on the back of his neck had raised, and he imagined hearing the ominous breathing of the hydra in the cave. Except he wasn't truly imagining it.

His mind began to race. _Shit, no..._

Despite the fair warning, he was still surprised when he heard the sound of slithering, a hissing sound almost like steam flying free of a small space. Then came the growling.

_Crapcrapcrapcrap._ The amount of profanity running through Jim's head at that moment was rather profound. Not that it helped much.

It was low and rumbling, much like the roll of thunder. It came from somewhere in front of him. Kirk stopped. It was quiet at first, far away, but it the volume began to climb, signaling its approach, and slowly he began to back up. He half-hoped that the beast wouldn't notice him, but the constant rumble said otherwise. Still, it came closer. Jim was unarmed. He stood no chance, especially in the darkness where he was as blind as a newborn animal.

Suddenly the beast lashed out, some sixth sense told him that moments before he was thrown back the way he had come. _Wham! _He tumbled and landed square on his back onto the hard ground, parts of him landing in the pools of water that dotted the cave floor. His breath was knocked out of him; his ribs were on fire. He somehow managed a painful groan and rolled to his hands and knees, scrambling to his feet. He backed up more, back down further and nervously called out for help.

He could sense the monster advancing on him. He could feel every vibration in the ground as the hydra took each step slowly forward. Why so slow? The thing had the speed of a cobra. He could hear the flicker of a tongue, the slick hiss of the beast...

Multiple things happened at once. First, something sailed past him, catching his shoulder and causing Jim to lose his balance and wobble precariously on one foot before righting himself. Second, the hydra must have been struck by something, because it was at that moment that it let out an ear-splitting screech of agony. Third, something, perhaps the very same as the first something, shoved him forward before flying past him yet again.

And finally, the throaty voice of T'Solak:

"_Run_!"

* * *

**AN: **And so that ends chapter five. I hope it was enjoyable! Please feel free to review, I would like to know what I'm doing right, wrong, and how/if I can make this story better. Outside opinions and constructive criticism are awesome!

Apologies in advance if there are any spelling, punctuation, or other errors. I'm own my own with this at the moment. I've combed through this chapter a couple times, but if I read it again and see that I miss something, I'll fix it ASAP. Thanks! :)

Also, according to memory-alpha, Vulcans do have remarkably sharper senses of hearing and smell. I was unsure about eyesight, however.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the idea of Star Trek or any of its characters.

* * *

**VI**

Jim blinked rapidly as they emerged into the light of the outside world generated by the holodeck. The sun shone brightly overhead, blinding him, but he barely had time to allow his sensitive eyes to adjust before T'Solak burst from the cave opening behind him. "_Run, _if you know what's good for you!" Even the _Vulcan _must have been sensing at least some small amount of fear. She used a contraction; she hadn't had the time nor the sense to use 'proper' English. Jim would even say she seemed panicked. However, there was no time for any thought about showing of emotion.

He burst into a full-out sprint, and just in time, for the hydra exploded from the cave entrance behind them, showering bits of mud and dirty water everywhere. One head let out an angry roar, the other two had their fangs bared and lips twitching in anticipation for the expected kill. He glanced back to see that T'Solak had not yet moved. In fact, she stood her ground, with a gleaming sword in her hand. He stopped. _Where'd she find _that _thing? _

As if sensing his hesitation, T'Solak looked back at him and spoke quickly, "Get out of here, Captain. This is no longer a mere training exercise." _What? But then that meant- _his thought was caught off as he sucked in a quick, nervous breath. The hydra let out another furious, hunger-filled scream. Two serpentine heads dove toward the female Vulcan with speed that Kirk never imagined possible. And even more impossible, T'Solak somehow managed to avoid both. The snapping, slavering jaws of the two heads sailed by her, so close that he was sure she could have seen her reflection in its eyes. The sickening sound of bone snapping exploded in the air as the two heads collided. The jaw of one of the heads hung loosely, giving the hydra a bit of a lopsided grin. It seemed comical; Jim would have laughed, but the danger seemed too real for it to be a laughing matter.

Jim watched, something like the feeling of awe keeping him from moving. It was like some exotic dance- one of the serpentine heads would dive for the kill and T'Solak would spin away with that strange, carefully controlled grace that all Vulcans seemed to inherently have. The gleaming sword spun dangerously in her hand - _Were Vulcans normally accustomed with an Earth-weapon like that?_ - it was a spinning blade of destruction. She delivered clean cuts, nicked the soft underside of the beast's necks here and there. Never once did she seem to make an attempt at decapitating any of the heads.

Eventually, the hydra must have hatched some kind of plan. Between the three brains, who wouldn't? Sharp teeth gnashed at T'Solak, taking turns. Each time she danced back nimbly, the sword dancing in her hands. By the time Jim realized what was happening, it was too late. T'Solak was cornered against the wall of the steep hill, one long-fingered hand placed back against the stony wall and the other holding the sword out in front of her. The snake-like beast advanced forward slowly, forked tongues darting about, tasting the air. She lashed out at one, chopping off the end of it. It fell to the swampy ground, wriggling in a way that made Jim somewhat sick to his stomach. The beast recoiled, let out a hiss in fury. Jim took several tentative steps forward, the beast currently ignoring him in favor of the Vulcan. T'Solak looked over; dark eyes met his blue ones. In them, he couldn't see fear or anything associated with the emotion. Only something that seemed like grim determination.

Her gaze was torn away as the beast lunged forward, all three heads snapping away with huge, acid-dripping fangs. Somehow, the sword was sent flying towards him - did she throw it? - and splashed into the ankle-deep muddy water at Jim's feet. He quickly scooped it up in one hand and began to move forward toward the hydra, who lifted two heads warily, the other still turned away. His heart pounded in his chest. He could no longer see T'Solak. The two heads let out a warning growl, then the third one turned too. The sight Jim was offered made him want to retch; in one of its mouths, it held the Vulcan female like a dog would a toy. He couldn't see any sign of movement from her. Her arms were dangling loosely, like spaghetti noodles.

_This is no longer a mere training exercise_. T'Solak's words echoed through his mind. Then the danger was as real as it felt. Was that what she meant? She could die. At that thought, the fact that someone could possibly die as a result of something as meaningless as a holodeck program - something meant to be a mere training exercise, spurred Jim into action. The head grasping T'Solak between its teeth dropped her like a rag doll, having found new prey to focus its sights on. He would have winced, but the rage pounding in his blood propelled him forward. With a blood-curdling shout, he swung the sword at one of the heads as it dived toward him. There was a hissing sound as the weapon connected, and he could feel his arms burning as corrosive blood splattered on his skin. The sword sheared through the flesh of the beast like butter; it was as if the sword was made for this task, and only this task. The two remaining heads let out piercing roars as the other died, its head dropping like a rock and rolling to a stop on the marshy ground. Its dulled eyes stared up ominously, but he had no time to observe.

Jim thrust the sword into his belt, where it would rest by his hip, before rushing to the fallen Vulcan's side. Heart in his throat, he slung her limp weight over his shoulders before struggling to his feet. Pain bolted through him as he was painfully reminded of his broken ribs. _Good God, how much do Vulcans weigh? _It was like carrying a school bus on his shoulders. He had no time to really complain to himself about it though because at that moment the air was filled with what sounded like tearing skin and bubbling water. He glanced up at the headless neck, then his eyes widened as two heads sprouted from it like deadly flowers. Now eight sets of eyes stared at him with an unfathomable hunger in their depths. His eyes widened.

"_Shitshitshitshit..._" Jim swore as he took off like a lightning bolt. He stumbled through the muddy earth which he cursed as he ran. It was only slowing him down and the hydra was coming up behind, tongues flickering in and out and one head's jaw hanging loosely open like a panting dog's from the collision with one of the other heads. Carrying T'Solak was no easy task, but running with her unconscious on his back was definitely a feat.

_How the hell am I going to get us out of this?!_ Luckily, it seemed Jim's question would be answered. The sound of hissing and growling got gradually further away, which he took as a good sign. Craning his head around painfully, the captain could see behind him the heads dipping and diving amongst one another, snapping at each other. It was like some kind of four-way argument. Perhaps the newly regenerated heads could not yet agree with the other two older ones. Jim's luck was one of a kind.

He hurried through the marsh, past tall trees that reached for the sky and over roots that tightly gripped the ground. He splashed through muddy puddles and only when he felt like he could go no further did he stop for a break. His legs were screaming from the physical exertion and his knees ached. Again, Jim's luck played a part in this as he found that he had stopped in a somewhat dry area surrounded by waist-high reeds and tall grass. A couple trees dotted the area; he imagined that it would be easy for them to hide amongst the flora here since they were small enough, but the bulk of the hydra was too big to really hide anywhere.

He gently let T'Solak off his shoulders, who let out a soft groan as he set her on the ground. Her cheeks were unusually pale; the normal green tinge of Vulcan blood was gone. Instead, her wounds released her dark, copper-based blood, darkening the soil she rested on. He knelt next to her, trying to take a measure of how wounded she was. Holes as deep as his thumb was long punctured through her uniform and skin. Leaning over her unmoving form, Jim could see one just below her collarbone, three more in her abdomen and another blood-oozing wound in her thigh. It didn't look good for her at all.

Jim knew he had to staunch the flow of blood somehow. He took off his yellow over shirt, somewhat regretting that he'd have to tear this thing up, but it was for the best. _So much for not having to worry about laundry... _Luckily, he wore a black t-shirt underneath. It would be rather weird to have T'Solak open her eyes to find him half-naked. He tore fabric from the sleeve first, then went to work, awkwardly wrapping her leg first. Really, he had no idea what he was doing. Of course, he had basic knowledge of first aid, but that was it, basic. Bones would know more about patching up T'Solak than he would. Jim pursed his lips as he worked. He'd need to get out of the holodeck program. Then he and T'Solak would be perfectly fine. Right? _But she said this was no longer a training exercise..._

"Holodeck program, terminate," he said. He had a feeling that something had changed. He tested the command, waited and listened.

"_Error. Program not terminated,_" replied the mechanical voice. He sat back on his heels. Puzzled, Jim tried again.

"Computer, acknowledge my identity."

"_James T. Kirk. Captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise._"

_It's supposed to recognize me as Captain... _"Terminate,"

"_Error. Program not terminated,"_

He was going to try again, but a weak voice cut him off. "It... will not work... Captain." Jim looked at T'Solak. Her eyes were open, dark orbs staring up at him intensely. She lifted a hand to the wound just below her collarbone as if testing water, and looked at it. Green liquid glistened on her fingertips.

"It bit me."

"It did more than that, Lieutenant Commander," Jim replied grimly. He handed her a scrap of the shirt to wipe her fingers on. "It gnawed on you like a hungry dog gnaws on a bone."

"I do not understand what an underfed mammal has to do with being bitten by a multi-headed beast." Jim rolled his eyes. T'Solak took a breath, resting her hand on her stomach with the fabric scrap in her hand. "You must know by now that the safety protocols of this program are no longer functional."

"How long did you know?" Kirk's demeanor went from somewhat concerned to cold. After all, it did seem rather suspicious that he be introduced to a rather obscure holodeck program that just happened to have a malfunction that caused the safety protocols to fail. Especially by a stranger who just happened to be assigned to _observe _the crew of this ship.

"The first signs were in the beginning. The delay in the appearance of the hydra. It... it was a glitch as you would call it. However, I didn't think that anything of great danger would happen. It was not until after you sustained injuries that I began to sense that something was amiss. I expected you to make choices that would keep us out of danger and to finish the program. I did not... did not think any one of us would be seriously injured. It seems I was wrong."

"Yeah, you're definitely wrong, alright," Jim grumbled.

"Forgive me Captain, I-" She closed her eyes, waited a moment, then opened them again to look up at him. _Maybe that's her version of a grimace,_ Kirk thought, pursing his lips. "We must finish the program immediately. The hydra... its bite is deadly. Not due to the wound itself, but the saliva. It is corrosive and acts as a deadly poison. Soon I will no longer be coherent enough to be of assistance." Her chest rose as she took a slow breath.

"I did not intend for this to happen as it did." When he didn't say anything, just kept tearing more cloth, she spoke again. "We cannot leave the program unless we complete it."

"Sit up," he said, avoiding her gaze, calm despite her grievous wounds. She did so, slowly, as if it pained her to simply move. It most likely did, but he felt like he didn't care much. He wrapped her torso with one of the sleeves of his now half-destroyed over shirt. She knew about the program failure, yet had done nothing to acknowledge it or warn him. _She meant to let me die, _Jim realized with a start. T'Solak flinched, but when Jim questioned it, she waved it away, saying that it was "A brief flare of pain, not much to worry about." When he was finished tending to her wounds, he stood up. The sword prodded his leg, a reminder that he still had the weapon in his belt. He took it in one hand.

"What are you planning to do, Captain?" asked T'Solak. Despite being wounded, and with something much like poison beginning to course through her veins, she still somehow managed to keep her voice calm and level. _Vulcans._

"I'm going to kill it. Or else we're both going to die a meaningless death in this holodeck."

"You know that you cannot simply decapitate the beast," she reminded him.

"I know." Jim's hand tightened on the grip of the sword, his knuckles beginning to turn white.

"Do you remember the legend of Hercules still?" she asked.

Jim closed his eyes, remembering. Hercules. Son of the old Greek god, Zeus. He was considered to be a hero. He slew a nine-headed hydra. He had help from his nephew, who cauterized the headless necks of the hydra.

Jim's eyes flew open. That was it. _Fire._

"Its weakness is fire."

"Indeed, Captain."

He looked upwards, eyes searching the swampy trees for any piece of dry wood. He knew that sometimes dead branches would get caught on the living ones - the ones whose life and color were sucked out by the sun worked the best. Jim knew that earlier T'Solak had mentioned making a torch, and he replied with the thought that the wood most likely contained too much water to actually burn... but he had to try. There had to be at least _one _piece of dead wood. Slinging the sword through his belt again, he made his way to the nearest tree. One of the thick roots rose from the water before dipping back into it. His boots made those _squelch_ing noises as he moved. Jim stood on top of the thick root, dipping precariously as it struggled to support his weight. Looking up, he saw that the closest branch was actually quite a way up. He narrowed his eyes slightly, searching for that one thing... and then he saw it. He glanced at T'Solak, who was watching him intensely, then swung his arms and leaped.

Perhaps leap wasn't the correct word. More like _flew. _

His open hands caught the lowest hanging branch, leaving his legs dangling several feet above the ground. _Can't say I've done that before..._

T'Solak stared him with rapt attention, eyebrows raised. That was perhaps the most emotion Jim had ever been able to elicit from the female Vulcan. Surprise, he supposed. Most humans couldn't jump that high and on a normal day, he probably wouldn't either. He guessed the adrenaline may have had a hand in that. He gave a sideways grin and pulled himself up onto the branch, which dipped precariously much like the root below had earlier. Balancing like a cat, he looked up. Somewhere above, that dry piece of wood he had spotted was nestled between two other living tree branches. He knew that it was about the length of his forearm, nearly as wide. Like a spider, he crawled up amongst the branches until he finally found it. Jim grabbed it, then looked down. The sight below dizzied him.

He wasn't particularly afraid of heights, but twenty feet above the ground was a bit too far to jump without inducing pain, and he had no desire to be reminded of the situation with his ribs. Without anywhere else to really put the wood (without dropping it down into the watery ground, which would defeat the entire purpose), he stuffed it in his shirt. Slowly, moving one hand or foot at a time, Jim returned to the bottom of the tree, and with the dry wood intact as well. He sat down with his legs under him and using them as a sort of platform, went to work on creating _fire._

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**AN: **Hope this was an enjoyable read. Honestly, I hadn't expected to get this far. Wow, chapter six. Usually my stories are abandoned due to either discouragement or boredom. Thanks to those who actually take the time to read this. :) I'll be wrapping up this little... _adventure _soon. The story must go on!

Constructive criticism is a plus! :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Star Trek nor the canon characters.

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**VII**

After about ten minutes of swearing and sweaty frustration, one end of the piece of wood was covered with pitch and burning profusely. After rechecking on T'Solak, who had fallen into the embrace of unconsciousness, Jim turned away from her with the makeshift torch in his off-hand, the sword in his right. It pained him that he would have to leave her behind, but there was no way he could take the female Vulcan with him. She would simply get in the way. Plus he figured that she would be safer here, away from that four-headed monster.

So with sword in one hand and torch in the other, Jim went on his way to search for the hydra. As he trudged through the muddy water and waist-high weeds, he glanced back to see that the resting Vulcan was safely out of sight. Even if she couldn't defend herself in this state, that would be alright. There was a high chance that she wouldn't have to, since she was concealed by the reeds and swamp foliage. Jim turned his head forward once more, blue eyes searching for the beast.

It wasn't until he the small clearing was completely out of sight did he first catch wind of the hydra - the scent of chlorine was the first sign. Jim stopped in his tracks, drawing the strange sword he had taken from T'Solak. Its weight balanced easily in his hand, light and eager for blood. He could imagine the shadow of the beast lurking behind every tree, its four pairs of eyes studying him, searching for weakness and openings.

Much like it had in the cave, the low growling began, one monstrous voice followed by three others. The thing practically rose out of the water in front of him, the heads snaking toward him slowly, long tongues tasting the air. One reached out directly in front of his face before flickering back into its mouth. Both the blonde and the monster stood still for several moments, eying each other, waiting for the other to make their first move. Boldly, Jim stared directly into one pair of cold eyes.

At the same time, they both went for each others' throats.

With a shout, Jim flew toward the first head, the one with the broken jaw, as one of the others flew towards him. As a result of him moving forward, and the beast's miscalculation, the head that had gone after him missed greatly, while his sword wheeled and viciously cut at his target's neck. The beast screamed in pain, reared back, but again the blonde went at the head, until finally the lifeless head rolled to the ground, eyes cloudy and lifeless. The lifeless neck drooped down like a dying plant, gurgling and bubbling, bones cracking as it tried to heal. Before the beast could even get the chance to regenerate more heads, he whipped out the torch with one hand, flames immediately licking at and catching the flesh of the hydra.

The resulting pain-filled screech was so terrible that he staggered back, hands clapped against his ears in a futile attempt to block out the sound. When he took his hands away, his ears were ringing. He wouldn't be surprised if he ended up with hearing damage after this, yet another thing that Bones would be upset about. _If we make it out alive, _Kirk reminded himself solemnly, although he berated himself for thinking negatively like that anyway.

No more time to think. Focus, focus on the fight. Three more heads to go.

To his left, slavering jaws opened wide, spewing out some kind of corrosive acid. Jim stumbled back, grunting in pain as some of the beast's saliva caught on his pants, eating through the fabric and working on his skin. Oh, God, _the pain. _He grimaced, eyes squeezed shut. It was like being on fire with razor blades swimming through his blood, wherever the acidic saliva touched. He had to get up though, had to move. He had to kill the beast, or both he and T'Solak would probably die in the holodeck. He couldn't afford to let that happen, not when another starship, further away, called for help.

Kirk forced open his eyes, just barely in time to catch the sight of another pair of razor-sharp teeth coming straight for him. He dodged, barely missing, the smell of the creature making his eyes water. The blood-hungry sword in his hand came out, slicing clean through the neck of the beast, marking another part of it dead, blood spraying everywhere. It splashed to the ground amongst the muddy water and corrosive blood. Again, the torch came forward, hungry flames going for the flesh of the beast, although this time it wasn't sent reeling back. Instead, anger and agony-filled screeches went through the air as the final two heads dove toward him, madness in their gleaming eyes.

Everything flew by in a blur, the deadly sword danced in his hand and more of that terrible blood splattered on him, pain blurring his vision. Somehow another head dropped to the muddy ground, flames attacked at that neck, and the beast was left with merely a single head left, the one with the tongue T'Solak had severed earlier. It wasted no time in going at Kirk, red rage apparent in its fiery eyes. Its open jaws snapped at him, caught at his shirt. Sudden adrenaline kicked in, though, and he tore away, his shirt going with it. It could have been worse - it could have been his arm, or his head.

Before his feet, this one too, fell at his feet, dead, lifeless. Flames ate away at the final stump of a neck, and the body of the hydra slumped to the ground, defeated.

Jim was covered in scratches, bruises, and bled in places where the beast's blood and saliva had eaten away at his skin. His ribs ached painfully and his lip was split; he could taste the blood in his mouth. However, he was free - with the death of the hydra, he and T'Solak could finally leave. The program had been finished. He gave the command for the program to terminate, and immediately the sensation of his stomach dropping took over, and he felt like he was falling forever before he was returned to a blank room, the holodeck default before any program was initiated. The sword that had been in his hand was gone, the torch, also gone. Beside him, T'Solak was curled up, her breathing was shallow.

Gasping for breath himself, injuries beginning to take their toll on him, Kirk's hand somehow made it to the nearest comm box on the wall. He called in to sickbay, panting for breath.

"McCoy speaking," replied the familiar voice. _Oh, thank God. _

"_Bones," _Kirk groaned into the comm, "Holodeck... it's an... emergency."

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**AN:  
**I just really wanted to get this story-arc thing out of the way so I could advance the rest of the story, ya know? Plus I've been busy - it took forever to write even this much, and this chapter is kinda short.

Well, compared to the others, I guess.

Oh well, we'll see what happens to T'Solak soon enough. ;) Hope that was an enjoyable read for you all.

P.S., Let me know about grammar mistakes please. Thanks.


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